Program
Monday, 15 September 2025
Day 1 – Foundations
Time
Session
8:00 am
Registration Open (Ballroom Foyer)
8:30 - 9:30
Acknowledgement of Country and Cultural Performance (The Glade Pavilion)
9:30 - 9:40
Housekeeping (The Glade Pavilion)
9:40 - 10:00
Introduction and Opening (The Glade Pavilion)
Hear from Duane Fraser, Council of First Nations CEO, about the purpose of the National Gathering and what you can expect over the three-day program.
10:00 - 10:35
Morning Tea
10:35 - 11:05
Keynote Address
A powerful keynote address by Tony McAvoy SC, grounding us in the legacy of First Nations advocacy and resistance. This session calls us to meet the urgency of now with unity, clarity, and shared responsibility. An opportunity to honour those who dedicated their lives to our collective advancement.
11:05 - 11:35
International First Nations Guest
Hear from respected First Nations Leader, Andrea Paul, the first woman elected as Regional Chief for Assembly of First Nation Nova Scotia Region in 2023. Prior to this she was the first woman elected Chief for Pictou Landing First Nation for twelve years. Andrea is a proud member of the Mi’kmaq community of Pictou Landing First Nation, located on the beautiful east coast of the Northumberland Strait (Canada), which is well known for fishing as a livelihood. Andrea was instrumental in negotiating the closure of a kraft pulp and paper treatment facility which created environmental, social, traditional, cultural, emotional and mental harm to her community, since 1967. Andrea is passionate about community, education, social justice, human rights, Treaty protection, and environmental justice; she is also an active beader.
11:35 - 12:20
National Mapping Exercise – Who is in the room?
This interactive session offers a current snapshot of the national First Nations governance and advocacy landscape. Through visual mapping, regional insights, and facilitated discussion, delegates will explore who is doing what, where, and how. Together, we’ll identify overlaps, gaps, and opportunities to inform strategic alignment and deeper conversations throughout the Gathering.
12:20 - 12:30
Cultural Exchange
Opportunity for a delegate to share song or dance.
12:30 - 1:30
Lunch
1:30 - 2:15
Panel Discussion: Regional Efforts
Explore powerful alliance-building efforts across Country with panellists Nini Mills (CEO, Nyamba Buru Yawuru), Joe Morrison (CEO, Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation), Ned David (Chair, Gur A Baradharaw Kod), and Kaley Nicholson (CEO, Federation of Victorian Traditional Owner Corporations). Hear what’s working in their regions, reflect on the strength of speaking with one voice while honouring each Nation’s authority, and offer lessons to guide the path toward a strong national structure.
2:15 - 4:45
Regional Breakout Session (QLD/TSI Glade Pavilion, WA Ballroom 1, NSW/ACT Ballroom 2, VIC/TAS Ballroom 3, NT/SA Pandanus 2)
In regional breakout sessions, delegates will explore what they need from a national body, where coordination gaps exist, and which issues must be on a 2026–28 policy agenda. Ideas will be captured for the rapid share back session.
4:45 - 5:30
Share Back from Regional Breakout
Delegates to come back together to share priorities to inform a national agenda
5:30 pm
Closing of Day 1
Tuesday, 16 September 2025
Day 2 – Considering a National Platform
Time
Session
8:30 - 8:45
Welcome and Recap of Day 1
8:45 - 10:00
Why it’s Worth It - Global Councils and Alliances Showcased
An opportunity to be inspired by and to learn from examples of First Nations national platforms around the world. This panel will demonstrate how a national platform for First Nations people can empower communities to confront complex challenges from the grassroots to the federal level. This will frame our discussions as we move to deliberate on how a national platform could be designed in a way that is authentic to our First Nations traditions and people.
10:00 - 10:30
What Might Work Here? Model Options and Design Pathways
Drawing on inspiration from other First Nations assemblies and councils, we will consider what a national platform could look like here in Australia. We will look at a number of options, including those offered from delegates in the room, as models of a national platform. This session will give delegates the tools to discuss in their regional groups what their communities need from a national platform and how it could established.
10:30 - 10:50
Morning Tea
10:50 - 12:30
Regional Breakout Session – What is the Preferred Model? (QLD/TSI Glade Pavilion, WA Ballroom 1, NSW/ACT Ballroom 2, VIC/TAS Ballroom 3, NT/SA Pandanus 2)
Delegates return to regional rooms to assess the three proposed governance models. This session shifts focus from exploration to formal positioning, with each region drafting a resolution that reflects its stance — support, conditional support, or rejection. Through structured discussion and voting, regions clarify priorities, conditions, and red lines, preparing to present their positions in Day Two’s national dialogue.
12:30 - 1:30
Lunch
1:30 - 3:00
Share Back from Regional Decisions on a Preferred Model
This is an opportunity for each region to share with the National Gathering their deliberations on what their communities want and need from a national platform and how they envision such a body. It is the time to set out core principles and to ensure Traditional Owners shape the next steps on this journey.
3:20 - 4:00
Decision-Making Session
After considering international examples and hearing from Traditional Owners delegates region by region, the Gathering will decide on behalf of their communities the next steps. This will include whether it is now the time to meet the need for a national platform and what shape that body should take. This is an extremely important opportunity for the delegates who have been sent from their communities to represent their peoples to exercise their rights to self-determine how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are represented at a national level.
4:00 - 4:30
Summary and closing of Day 2
5:30 pm
Delegate group photo
5:35 pm
Social Event
Wednesday, 17 September 2025
Day 3 – Policy Day
Time
Session
8:30 - 8:45
Welcome
8:45 - 9:10
Introduction to the Policy Day
9:10 -10:30
Thematic Breakout Round 1: (QLD/TSI Glade Pavilion, WA Ballroom 1, NSW/ACT Ballroom 2, VIC/TAS Ballroom 3, NT/SA Pandanus 2)
Cultural Heritage & Protection; Economic Empowerment & Compensation; Native Title Reform; optional “Dilly Basket” room.
10:30 - 11:00
Morning Tea
11:00 - 12:20
Thematic Breakout Round 2: (QLD/TSI Glade Pavilion, WA Ballroom 1, NSW/ACT Ballroom 2, VIC/TAS Ballroom 3, NT/SA Pandanus 2)
Cultural Heritage & Protection; Economic Empowerment & Compensation; Native Title Reform; optional “Dilly Basket” room.
12:20 - 1:40
Thematic Breakout Round 3: (QLD/TSI Glade Pavilion, WA Ballroom 1, NSW/ACT Ballroom 2, VIC/TAS Ballroom 3, NT/SA Pandanus 2)
Cultural Heritage & Protection; Economic Empowerment & Compensation; Native Title Reform; optional “Dilly Basket” room.
1:40 - 2:25
Lunch
2:25 - 3:45
Thematic Breakout Round 4: (QLD/TSI Glade Pavilion, WA Ballroom 1, NSW/ACT Ballroom 2, VIC/TAS Ballroom 3, NT/SA Pandanus 2)
Cultural Heritage & Protection; Economic Empowerment & Compensation; Native Title Reform; optional “Dilly Basket” room.
3:50 - 4:30
Share Back from Thematic Breakouts
4:30 pm
Closing
Please note: Program details may be subject to change without notice.